Chapter 58: Poor little butterfly. The little butterfly is scared.
“It feels like it’s getting hot quickly this year, and the sun is burning more intensely than in previous years.”
Jiang Mang quickly walked towards the wooden corridor over the lake, casting another glance at Yu Shi beside her.
He looked refined and handsome, and clearly felt the heat as well. His sweat-drenched skin appeared transparent and delicate under the sunlight.
Though it wasn’t yet the summer solstice, summer had quietly arrived, and the midday sun mercilessly poured out its heat.
When they reached the area covered with water lilies, a sudden coolness enveloped them, as if the sunlit wooden corridor was in a different world.
“Phew—” Jiang Mang sighed, “Living on the lake is still a bit cooler. Without air conditioning, it doesn’t feel hot at all. No wonder they didn’t install air conditioning for Ninth Master Feng here. However, a dehumidifier is still necessary.”
Yu Shi knew that her chattiness was likely due to her nervousness.
After taking care of the nearly comatose Ninth Master Feng for over half a month, she was about to face the awakened Ninth Master Feng for the first time today, which understandably left her feeling uncertain.
Yu Shi considered himself as merely attending a caregiver interview, so he wasn’t particularly nervous.
They entered the room, and as before, they saw a figure lying on the bed.
“Didn’t they say Ninth Master Feng had woken up?” Jiang Mang whispered.
Yu Shi approached and drew back the curtain, and at that moment, Master Feng Xuexiang opened his eyes.
His eyes were as dark as his hair, lacking any hint of light, and were deeply captivating.
But Yu Shi’s gaze involuntarily drifted to the top of his head, where some semi-transparent small characters appeared, resembling game data.
He could clearly see the labels “Current Health,” “Current Status,” and “Current Emotion,” but instead of numbers, there were some blood-red, blurry, and indistinguishable strange patterns following these labels.
The system timely explained:
[This is a feature of the system to assist the monitor by providing real-time updates on the villain’s current status. However, he has a large amount of emotional contamination, and the magnetic field is extremely unstable. The system is currently unable to monitor.]
Yu Shi: Got it. It’s like the dynamic monitoring watches that elderly people used to carry, which can show things like blood sugar and blood pressure.
[Can this feature be turned off? Having such characters displayed on a person’s head looks a bit odd, and since it can’t currently be monitored, it only shows garbled text and serves no purpose.]
In the blink of an eye, Yu Shi saw those semi-transparent characters begin to twist.
[Alright, I’ll disable this feature for you. The task target is currently in a dangerous state. Please be cautious, Mr. Yu Shi.]
Though the system indicated danger, Feng Xuexiang appeared to be harmless.
After opening his eyes, it seemed as if he didn’t see Yu Shi and Jiang Mang. He sat up from the bed, his expression showing unfamiliarity and a strange emptiness as he looked around.
He stood barefoot on the reflective floor, suddenly heading straight for the door. However, he was unable to advance past a meter from the door, as if something was blocking his way.
After a moment of restless pacing, he continued to walk around the room, as if searching for an exit.
He approached the open window and seemed to see something frightening, retreating quickly and searching more urgently for an escape route.
Jiang Mang moved closer to Yu Shi and whispered, “What… is he doing?”
Yu Shi didn’t answer. He suspected that Feng Xuexiang’s situation might indeed be similar to that of certain psychiatric patients, where the world he perceived was different from theirs.
Immersed in his own world, Feng Xuexiang couldn’t see the path, nor could he see the two of them.
Feng Xuexiang’s initial bewilderment upon waking had quickly turned into desperate frenzy in just a short time.
His footsteps became increasingly frantic, thudding on the floor like intense drumbeats.
His movements grew more erratic, knocking over the only two antique round stools in the room without him noticing, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.
It was only then that Yu Shi quickly stepped forward and steadied him.
Startled by the sudden touch, Feng Xuexiang reacted strongly. However, Yu Shi, having learned some grappling and fighting techniques from his eldest brother, swiftly grasped his hand and pinned him against the nearby table, preventing him from harming others or himself in his agitation.
“Ninth Master…”
With his cheek pressed against the table, Feng Xuexiang turned his head to look at Yu Shi, suddenly calming down.
At that moment, Yu Shi felt as if he was being “seen.”
This sense of being “seen” didn’t come from Feng Xuexiang’s dark eyes, but from an indescribable place.
It was as if eyes from all directions had suddenly turned toward him.
The sensation was more akin to “observed” or “captured,” reflecting Yu Shi’s current psychological state.
He involuntarily released Feng Xuexiang’s hand.
But Feng Xuexiang then grabbed Yu Shi’s wrist, his thumb pressing into Yu Shi’s palm.
He leaned closer to Yu Shi, examining him as if he couldn’t clearly see his face.
Yu Shi felt his wrist being squeezed painfully, his fingers starting to swell.
Jiang Mang, unable to hold back, said, “Zhou Shi, let’s call the old steward to come and take a look. I think something’s wrong with him.”
As soon as Jiang Mang spoke, Feng Xuexiang seemed to notice the presence of another person and shifted his gaze toward her.
Jiang Mang’s perception was sharper than Yu Shi’s. The moment she met Feng Xuexiang’s gaze, she drew in a sharp breath, her face showing fear, and her throat made a rattling sound. She couldn’t utter another word.
Feng Xuexiang’s expression was strange—empty, chaotic, and frenzied—making even his once-beautiful face appear terrifying.
It was like seeing an attractive ghost in a horror movie.
The scent of lotus in the air grew stronger, so intense it felt suffocating. At that moment, the surrounding environment also began to change.
The simple, plain lakeside residence began to twist, bright light being devoured by darkness. The surrounding blurred colors swirled like a kaleidoscope from childhood.
Feng Xuexiang was gone, and so was Jiang Mang. Yu Shi found himself alone in a twisted, inverted world and sighed.
[System, have we been pulled into an illusion by Feng Xuexiang?]
[Yes.]
[According to the Feng family’s teachings, Jiang Mang and I are complementary Yin-Yang fates and should not be pulled into an illusion by Feng Xuexiang. I’m certain I didn’t engage in any forbidden behavior just now. Can you explain what’s happening?]
The system took a while to respond:
[After a system check, the issue might be with you.]
[The original Zhou Shi had a Yin fate, with a dark and gloomy magnetic field. Although you’ve taken his place, while your body is still of the Yin fate, the change in your soul’s magnetic field has disrupted the balance.]
[When the target awoke, his unstable condition unconsciously created an illusion, leading to the current situation.]
Yu Shi was at a loss. He only understood science and was completely unfamiliar with this esoteric stuff.
In the original storyline, Zhou Shi and Jiang Mang being pulled into an illusion by Feng Xuexiang did occur, but not at this time— it was supposed to be later on.
The servant Alin, who had quarreled with Jiang Mang and was punished by Feng Zaiyin, harbored resentment towards Jiang Mang after being stripped of his exorcist qualifications.
Given that his father and elder brother held some position in the Feng family, he bribed servants to send a false message at night, luring Jiang Mang and Zhou Shi to the lakeside residence under the pretense of caring for the sick Ninth Master.
As a result, Zhou Shi and Jiang Mang were deceived, and at night, they were pulled into an illusion by the unstable Feng Xuexiang.
The original Zhou Shi died in that incident, while Jiang Mang, fighting the illusion, activated her snow demon bloodline and survived, which led to the Xue family discovering her, identifying her, and recognizing her as one of their own.
Knowing this plot from the system, Yu Shi wasn’t worried about Jiang Mang. She would likely be pulled into the illusion but would benefit from it in the end.
His main concern now was figuring out how to escape this illusion himself.
The system spoke again:
[This issue was not anticipated; it’s a flaw in the system. Please rest assured, Mr. Yu Shi, that the system will activate protective mechanisms if necessary to ensure you do not become lost in the illusion.]
Yu Shi observed the surrounding distorted colors and asked:
[So, what kind of illusion is this?]
[According to the data, the illusion created unconsciously by the villain is a primordial illusion, composed of the darkness within a person’s heart. Simply put, it will manifest your most painful memories or your greatest fears.]
Yu Shi hesitated.
[But my life is fulfilling and wonderful, with beloved family accompanying me. I don’t have any painful memories or fearful things.]
Based on the system’s understanding of humans, this was nearly impossible.
However, everything around him continued to twist, and no tangible scenes appeared.
It was likely because the illusion couldn’t capture fear and pain, so it couldn’t generate them.
Yu Shi pondered and suddenly took a step forward.
As he walked through the twisted colors, his foot suddenly found nothing beneath it, and he stepped into a realm of darkness.
Walking deeper into the darkness, he saw a large bronze mirror emitting a faint glow.
The mirror displayed a lake, with pitch-black water covered in purple water lilies. At the center of the lake was a round platform, where the slender figure of Feng Xuexiang was seated.
Just as Yu Shi was making out the scene, everything in front of him shifted, and he found himself on the circular platform in the mirror.
He called out to the figure in the distance, “Ninth Master.”
The person did not respond, so Yu Shi tried again, “Feng Xuexiang.”
The name seemed to act as a spell; the still figure suddenly turned around.
Feng Xuexiang looked shocked and incredulous, standing up and walking toward him. “Who… who are you?”
He appeared much more composed now compared to his earlier state at the lakeside residence.
Yu Shi introduced himself, “My name is Yu Shi.”
“How did you get here?” Feng Xuexiang approached him. “Do you know where this is? I’ve been trapped here and can’t get out. Please, help me leave.”
His voice was filled with pleading, and his expression was fragile, like a white lotus in the wind.
The man in front of Yu Shi was a head taller than him. Yu Shi looked up to see the moisture in his beautiful, long eyelashes as he gazed at him earnestly, recalling the fear and madness he exhibited at the lakeside residence.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
Yu Shi walked to the edge of the circular platform and turned to Feng Xuexiang, who followed closely. He extended his hand. “Hold onto me.”
Feng Xuexiang immediately grasped his hand.
Feng Xuexiang’s hand was significantly larger than Yu Shi’s. He had massaged this hand many times while Feng Xuexiang was asleep and was familiar with it, but the sensation of it being actively held was different.
Yu Shi stepped into the pitch-black water, which appeared liquid but felt like sinking into mud.
Despite the unpleasant sensation, Yu Shi continued to test the waters.
Feng Xuexiang, holding onto his hand, knelt at the edge of the platform. His hair fell into the water, and he was too anxious to notice, more nervous than Yu Shi.
“We can’t walk like this; the mud will make you sink.”
“It won’t,” Yu Shi said. “The mud isn’t deep, only up to the knees. Let’s move forward and see.”
Feng Xuexiang hesitated, seemingly terrified of the lake surface and unwilling to move forward.
“If you don’t want to, you can wait here. I’ll go ahead and scout,” Yu Shi offered, not pressing him.
As Yu Shi tried to release Feng Xuexiang’s hand, it was firmly held.
“Don’t leave me alone.”
Feng Xuexiang, seemingly afraid of suddenly being abandoned, stepped into the mud alongside Yu Shi.
They trudged forward through the thick mud. As they neared the cluster of purple, Yu Shi felt a tight grip on his arm as Feng Xuexiang pulled him back.
“We can’t go any further,” Feng Xuexiang said, staring at the cluster of purple in fear and shaking his head.
“Why can’t we go forward?” Yu Shi asked.
“We can’t get close to the butterflies. They’ll devour me; they’ll eat me,” Feng Xuexiang whispered, gripping Yu Shi’s hand even tighter.
“Butterflies?” Yu Shi looked at the purple and realized it was a swarm of purple butterflies, not water lilies.
As he observed, the swarm of butterflies suddenly dispersed. They fluttered gracefully, their movements like delicate fairies, beautiful and dreamlike.
But as the butterflies approached Feng Xuexiang, he showed a look of pain.
“Ah!”
When Yu Shi saw the beautiful butterflies landing on Feng Xuexiang’s face, pieces of flesh seemed to be peeling away from his face.
Reacting quickly, Yu Shi stripped off his shirt, swatting away the butterflies and covering Feng Xuexiang’s head and face with it, pressing his head onto his shoulder.
